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Why is violating a sports ritual such a big deal? Rather than focus on either the nobility, courage, arrogance or ungratefulness of Colin Kaepernick’s refusal to stand up for the national anthem, I think it is more revealing to consider why it seems so important to sports fans that he stand up for the national anthem. It has been pointed out that when Donald Trump claims he wants’ to “make…

BRISTOL, Tennessee — Bristol Motor Speedway CEO Marcus Smith stood a few feet from the back of an end zone Saturday night admiring what he and his family had wrought. Essentially, they had staged the largest college football event in history without losing the charm, feel and experience of the game itself. But collegiality only goes so far. Smith smiled because he’d already heard via social media what Bristol fans…

The big differentiator between the new iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus is the latter’s dual-camera system, which Apple promises will offer the best photography ever in a smartphone. We’ve not been able to test this claim for ourselves, as reviews of the new iPhones are yet to be published, but we can now get a look at the sorts of images the iPhone 7 Plus produces thanks to a photo…

NFL Opening day in the NFL saw Kansas City cornerback Marcus Peters raise a black-gloved fist during the national anthem, a protest amplified later when four Miami Dolphins kneeled on the sideline with hands on their hearts as ”The Star Spangled Banner” played in Seattle. The protests were inspired by San Francisco backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick , the first NFL player who chose to sit and take a knee during…

“Above all, be the heroine of your life, not the victim.” —Nora Ephron Living in the 21st century, where we have devised the technology to monitor robots to do our bidding, there’s still one aspect where we fall grossly short when it comes to progress — gender equality. Rant as we might, the truth is that although the world may have moved three inches forward since the time of the World…

CHICAGO — Soccer injuries are sending soaring numbers of U.S. children to emergency rooms, a trend driven in part by young players with concussions seeking urgent medical care, a study has found. The findings, based on 25 years of data, partly reflect soccer’s growing popularity. But the researchers and sports medicine experts say the trend also is a result of greater awareness about concussions and their potential risks. Coaches and…

The “Hipster Highway,” the nickname for a stretch of Milwaukee Avenue heavily used by bicyclists, is caught in a paradox. The popularity of biking along the Northwest Side arterial, with its stretches of marked or protected bike lanes and its connections to downtown and The 606 trail, has contributed to the appeal of surrounding neighborhoods. But the trendiness of Goose Island and Logan Square and the improved economy have prompted…

Photo: Stevica Mrdja/Getty Images/iStockphoto In 1985, Nature published a paper arguing that women would outrun men in marathons by 2000. Like so many other things that were supposed to happen “in the year 2000,” this prediction never came to fruition. Women’s finishing times were indeed improving rapidly as compared to the rate of men’s improvements, but that was likely because women were so much newer to distance running as compared…

SATURDAY, Sept. 10, 2016 — Pain can be a problem for young athletes, so it’s important for parents to know how to deal with it, a pain specialist says. “Now that kids are back in school and fall sports are well underway, there are many things parents can do to help their children avoid getting hurt while still enjoying sports,” said Dr. Anita Gupta. She is a member of the…

The thing I remember most, 15 years later, is not the Mike Piazza homer. No, the thing I remember most is Bobby Valentine rocking back and forth as Diana Ross sang “God Bless America,” smiling, singing, shouting his approval, exuding both joy and defiance at the same time. Valentine, then the Mets’ manager, had immersed himself in the recovery process after 9/11. Years later, he would become an object of…

Tim Tebow said goodbye to football, but that wasn’t the end of his sports career. NPR’s Rachel Martin talks sports with Mike Pesca of The Gist podcast.

Matt Kenseth’s long running feud with Team Penske drivers contined Saturday night at Richmond.(Photo: Matthew O’Haren, USA TODAY Sports) RICHMOND, Va. – Tempers flared Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway after what had been a relatively calm regular season for NASCAR. Just in time for the Chase for the Sprint Cup playoff, too. Brad Keselowski angered both Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch, and Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart – now…

While Denny Hamlin picked up his third victory, Chris Buescher, Chase Elliott, Austin Dillon and Jamie McMurray all secured their spots in NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup playoff in Saturday night’s regular season finale. Hamlin started on the pole and had the better car for much of the evening, but needed a good restart with two laps remaining to solidify the win. He achieved that by building up…

RELATED: Richmond results | Official Chase Grid   RICHMOND, Va. — A multicar accident triggered by hard racing between former teammates Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman brought out a 20-minute red flag with 37 laps remaining in Saturday night’s regular season finale at Richmond International Raceway.   The incident ruined what chance Newman had of racing himself into a Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup position after he entered the…

The thing I remember most, 15 years later, is not the Mike Piazza homer. No, the thing I remember most is Bobby Valentine rocking back and forth as Diana Ross sang “God Bless America,” smiling, singing, shouting his approval, exuding both joy and defiance at the same time. Valentine, then the Mets’ manager, had immersed himself in the recovery process after 9/11. Years later, he would become an object of…

The legendary sports broadcaster Norman May has died at the age of 88. May, who was affectionately nicknamed “Nugget” due to his stout body type when he was young, was widely loved for his unique sports commentary. — Drew Morphett OAM (@drewmorphett) September 11, 2016 Sad to hear of the passing of the great Norman May – a mentor & inspiration of some of our greatest sports broadcasters Growing up…

Gennady Golovkin beat Kell Brook with a fifth-round stoppage to retain his WBC and IBF middleweight titles. Kell Brook’s audacious bid to dethrone middleweight king Gennady Golovkin came to nothing as the Briton was stopped in the fifth round at London’s O2. Brook, 30, the reigning IBF welterweight champion, jumped two divisions to challenge Golovkin. He showed tremendous bravery and got plenty of shots through the Kazakh’s defences, but was…

RELATED: Complete race results | Standings | Who is in the Chase?SHOP: Hamlin gear | Chase gear RICHMOND, Va. – Denny Hamlin won a wild race at his home track, and the top four Chase hopefuls entering Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 all held serve at Richmond International Raceway in an event that ended in overtime after a record 16 cautions. Jamie McMurray locked up a spot in the Chase…

NASCAR officials are considering a plan on how they will address potential race winners and others competing in the Chase who are caught for rules violations, Motorsport.com has learned. This season, NASCAR has unveiled several new rules – new lug nut penalties and the use of the laser inspection station in pre- and post-race inspections are among them – that could possibly come into play in racing for…